Audiobooks have proved to be a fantastic growth for authors, producers, and narrators. Readers prefer listening to the author narrating his book. Here are some points for an author to be considered while recording his audiobook.
(1) Make sure you record the highest quality audio
There are various technical requirements to be followed while recording an audiobook of the best quality. The best quality of audio can be recorded at a place free of unwanted noises that may ruin the quality of the audio. Your recording can be done at your home but make sure there isn’t any noise that deteriorates the quality of your audio, and this noise may cause wastage of your time as you would have to re-record your audio to get rid of the noise.
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Your audio recorder is crucial in producing high-quality audio. There are tons of microphones out there, and you can surely find one which is in your budget. For recording audiobooks, I recommend using usb microphones. I found this article that outlined best microphones for youtube, If you don’t want to read a lot, you can purchase the Blue Snowball, which records high quality audio and is super affordable.
(2) Prepare yourself for recording
Recording audio is not an easy task. You have to put all your expressions and emotions into your words. The way you convey your words lets your reader get connected to you. So you must be full of energy to express your thoughts.
Here are some of the points to be taken care of while preparing yourself for recording:
- Schedule sessions a few days apart If you are an introvert and new to this recording world, then make sure that your voice doesn’t tremble while speaking and the words and the emotion behind it must be clear. You must speak yourself out with a lot of energy so that the reader must feel connected to you. Every recording session takes a minimum of 2 hours so you must schedule your recording hours when you have enough energy.
- Try to avoid dairy before recording tries not to have the things that can clog your throat and obstructs your speaking. To have a perfect audio, your throat must be clean, and in case you are ill or cannot speak properly, it’s better to get recovered and then continue with your work. It is recommended because the recording software requires your voice to be of same intensity and quality.
- If you’re recording around mealtimes, make sure you take a snack with you. Try not to schedule your recording sessions around your mealtimes. But in case it happens, has some snacks with you because grumbling stomach can distract your mind and can even lower your energy while speaking.
- Modulation of your breath is a must while recording. Holding your breath for a longer period, while reading longer chapters, can even lower your stamina. So you can have some recording classes from the professionals to have an effective recording.
- While recording, don’t read from the pages rather read from a tablet or any electronic device because while reading from pages, the noise of turning the pages can add up an unwanted effect on your recording. Also, turn your phone or other devices to airplane mode and turn off any Wi-Fi connection as this can also add up a noise that might not be noticeable while recording.
- Once you start recording, there might come some situations where you need you modify your writing and to record it again. So, it’s recommended recording those books or files that may remain static for a longer period. For instance, if you are recording any technical stuff, then you would have to update it annually, and if you have to update a smaller section then the quality of your voice must match to the previous sections’ quality, else you will have to record it again. So, updating is not an easy task.
- Each ACX file needs to be a single chapter of the book, as this can reduce the loading times and also while starting a new chapter with a new file you can re-energize yourself. Opening and closing credits are mandatory, and text to it is provided in the ACX notes.
(3) Learn some editing skills to keep the cost down
Once the recording is completed, then you are left with editing. An awful editing garnishes your recording to a greater extent. If you pay any producer to edit your recording, then this can increase the quality of your work at the cost of decreased profit. You don’t need to download a paid software to do your editing, you can use Audacity, a free software to edit your files. So, if you want to edit your recording on your own, here are some tips to be followed:
If you make a mistake when recording, clap your hands. This creates spikes in the audio files and could be used to find the errors later. If there occurs a lot of mistakes, then for smoother reading go back to the beginning and read it again. Continuous reading for longer hours, can make you feel tired and this can increase the number of your mistakes, so, take a break from reading for a while.
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Free editing software such as Audacity or others that are compatible with your computer can be used. Cross Fade function is used for cutting the files. Amadeus Pro, an editing software on Mac, has a facility of auto-fade with Smart Fade function. Try to use ergonomic keyboards and mouse, as regular working can cause wrist pains and other issues.
The ACX has its technical requirements, one of which is to add a few seconds of Room Tone to indicate the beginning and end of the file. To make the process easy and quick, you can record these room tones separately and can just add it using pre-cut tool to top and tail each file.
High-quality audio files are very large. So, for sending these files again and again, E-mails cannot be helpful. Thus, to send your edited files, you can use DropBox. This is done so because larger files get onto the memory of your computer faster. Therefore, for sending your files to Virtual Assistant(VA) and later to the producer, you can use DropBox.
Conclusion
These were some of the tips that might come handy next time you want to record an audiobook, or if you want to record your first audiobook.